How to remove grass stains
Short answer: Grass stains with chlorophyll, which bonds chemically to the fibers in the fabric, often faster than you would expect. Treat with rubbing alcohol or enzyme detergent before washing, since water alone does not loosen chlorophyll no matter how long you rinse it.
Chlorophyll is a dye
A grass stain is color, not ordinary dirt, and needs to be dissolved chemically rather than simply rinsed away with water. Treat it like any other color stain, and expect it to take a bit more than an ordinary wash.
Alcohol dissolves chlorophyll
Dab the stain with rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth, until the color starts to loosen from the fibers in the fabric. Switch to a fresh part of the cloth as you go, so you are not just moving the color around.
Enzyme detergent removes the rest
After the alcohol treatment, an hour of soaking in enzyme detergent helps remove the last traces of chlorophyll. The enzymes continue working where the alcohol already loosened things, making the wash far more effective on its own.
Never heat before the stain is gone
Heat binds chlorophyll permanently into the fiber, and the stain stays visible no matter how many times the garment is washed afterward. Always check the fabric thoroughly in daylight before you even think about the dryer.
Where grass settles
Knees, elbows and the seat are where grass stains show up most often, since they sit closest to the ground during play. Check these spots first when examining a garment for stains after a day spent outside.
A fresh stain is easier
A fresh grass stain reacts quickly to alcohol and often disappears after just a few minutes of treatment right away. A stain that has dried in overnight, on the other hand, needs several rounds and a longer soaking time.
Avoid rubbing the stain in
Rubbing pushes chlorophyll deeper into the fibers and makes the stain harder to remove later on. Dab gently instead, and let the alcohol do the work, rather than using force to scrub it away by hand.
Test on a dark corner
Rubbing alcohol can in rare cases affect the color of synthetic fabrics, so always test a small corner first. It only takes a moment and saves you an unpleasant surprise on the whole garment later.
Our range
See bamboo t-shirts for men , bamboo clothing for men , bamboo underwear for men and bamboo socks for men , where the fabric handles both alcohol and enzyme detergent without trouble.
Frequently asked questions
How do you remove grass stains?
Dab with rubbing alcohol until the color loosens, then soak the garment in enzyme detergent for about an hour.
Why doesn't water work on grass stains?
Because chlorophyll is a fat soluble dye. It dissolves in alcohol, but it does not dissolve in plain water alone.
Can an old grass stain still be saved?
Often partly, if the garment has not recently been through the dryer. Heat binds the color permanently, which makes the stain harder to remove.
You can find the full range at Bamboo-Clothing.com.
